


A Remarkable Wednesday

by TheMightyFlynn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anal Sex, Auror Draco Malfoy, Community: hd_erised, Curse Breaker Harry Potter, Fuck Or Die, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Ministry Partners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-08-31 02:01:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8559001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMightyFlynn/pseuds/TheMightyFlynn
Summary: Draco's Wednesdays were, without fail, boring.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shiftylinguini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiftylinguini/gifts).



> Dear shiftylinguini, I was so excited to get you as a recipient! I loved your requests and wanted to write fics based off all three of them, but the fuck-or-die trope just grabbed me. I hope you like what I came up with!
> 
> Thank you so much to the mods for being so patient with me and my slightly panicked emails.
> 
> To my beta and cheerleader: thank you so much for everything you do! If it wasn’t for you, this story would be crap, basically! <3

Nothing of note ever happens on Wednesdays; that is a well-established fact in Draco's life. His mornings always start the same on Wednesdays: after rising at seven and getting dressed, he enjoys breakfast in the balcony of his London flat, from where he can watch the city come alive. He then heads down to his local Apparition point so he can go to work without having to fuss around with the Floo Network. It is the same boring routine that he has followed for the past five years since being accepted into the Auror program.

Not even his work was able save him from the tedium Wednesdays brought. Draco would have welcomed the news that someone had tried to blow something up, or even that someone had been cursed but, as per the norm on Wednesdays, the only battle he was fighting that morning was with the mountains of paperwork sitting in his inbox. It didn’t seem to matter what happened during any other part of that week – or the previous one, for that matter – Wednesdays just seemed to be the day that the bad guys took the morning off.

It wasn’t that he was objecting to having a nice, normal routine, Draco figured as he realised that he had become distracted from his paperwork yet again. In fact, a routine was exactly what he liked to have. What he was objecting to was the tediousness of Wednesdays in general. He scrubbed a hand through his hair as he glanced up at the clock on the wall of the Auror office. At least his slow Wednesday mornings meant that he could have a proper lunch for once; something Mother was constantly at him about. By the time the clock on the wall struck twelve, the words were blurring before his eyes and his stomach was growling.

The haze that seemed to have settled over him cleared quickly from Draco’s mind the further he got away from the office and a small smile was turning his lips up as he reached the Floo. Lunch on Wednesdays was the one weekday that he had the chance to meet with his friends, as many of them had taken on careers that were just as busy as his. These lunches were basically a standing invitation to any one of their group who happened to have the time free to join them, but usually it was only Blaise, Pansy, and himself. It was with no small amount of surprise, then, that Draco found Theo and Daphne also seated at their usual table. He expressed his surprise at their appearance at lunch as he greeted them, but it seemed that he had interrupted something. 

“Now that Avery’s been spotted again, we’re going to need to mobilise quickly, I’d say,” Daphne continued with the conversation Draco had obviously walked in on the middle of. “We’ll need the Auror Department to help bring him down, but it’s that book that we need to focus on.” 

“If he really has managed to get his hands on one of the remaining copies of _Adhémar’s Grimoire_ , then we’re actually going to need all the help we can get,” Theo added with a small nod to Draco.

Sitting and listening to the two of them speaking, Draco quickly discovered that his usual Wednesday routine was to be disrupted. Gifre Avery had escaped justice when he had fled from the Battle of Hogwarts six years previously and his picture had sat at the top of the Auror Department’s most wanted list ever since. If he really had been spotted again, Draco had to be on the team who went after him. Personal vendettas were frowned upon in the Department but, then again, Draco wasn’t the only Auror with a grudge against Avery.

Over the course of the meal, Daphne explained that an undercover agent had spotted someone matching Avery’s description in a small town on the border of England and Wales. That sighting alone was more than enough to mobilise the Auror Department, but the addition of what had been reported as a copy of _Adhémar’s Grimoire_ had caused the Minister to authorise sending a team of Curse-Breakers in with them. As they were sure to be two of the Curse-Breakers the Department would send in to search for the book, Draco was sure that this was how Theo and Daphne had received this information.

The Ministry had – understandably, in Draco's opinion – seriously cracked down on anyone who broke wizarding law after the end of the War, which had resulted not only in more positions being opened in the Auror Department, but also in the addition of a special Curse-Breaker Department within the Ministry. Theo and Daphne had been two of the first accepted into the program as soon as they had completed their seventh year. They had worked their arses off over the years and now both had their choice of assignments they could accept. Draco knew that they would both be claiming seniority on this case and found that he really couldn’t blame them.

Lunch finished with their usual promises to get together over the weekend, which Draco knew that he, at least, would most likely break as soon as he was called into work. He fell into step with Theo and Daphne as they made their way back to the Ministry.

“So, Draco,” Daphne began with a sly smile as she sidled up beside him on their way through the Ministry Atrium. “I suppose you’ll be claiming Potter as your partner again for this assignment?”

“I don’t claim anyone and you know it,” Draco retorted as he thumped the call button for the elevator.

“Yeah, come on, Daph, give him a break,” Theo added with a small laugh and a clap of his hand on Draco's shoulder. “A man can dream, right?”

“A _dream_ is all it’s going to be if all he can ever do is call him names.” 

Draco sighed, which only produced more laughter from the other two. It was true that he and Potter were teamed as Auror and Curse-Breaker partners more often than not, but that definitely was not Draco's choice. If it had been up to him, he would never have seen Potter again after the end of the War. That, of course, had been wishful thinking. Draco just found himself incredibly thankful that Potter had gone against everyone’s expectations and had joined the Curse-Breaker Department with Theo and Daphne rather than following some of his friends into the Aurors.

Potter’s decision to join the Curse-Breakers had made Draco's life a little easier, he figured, as it meant that he didn’t have to face him every day. He just found it unfortunate that this fact didn’t stop Theo and Daphne from teasing the ever-loving hell out of him every single time they were teamed up. Theo and Daphne continued to make ‘useful suggestions’ of how he could reveal his feelings to Potter all the way back up to Level Two, but Draco tuned it all out. He was more than used to it by now. They only relented when they were met by Head Auror Gawain Robards when the elevator doors opened.

“Sir,” Draco greeted him with a small nod of his head.

“Malfoy, excellent. I was just on my way to collect you and the others on lunchbreak. A high-priority case has developed this morning; we’re gathering everyone in the briefing room as soon as possible. Nott, Greengrass, that will include the two of you as well: it’s all hands on deck this afternoon.”

That shut both Daphne and Theo up. They followed closely on Draco's heels as he made his way down the hallway to the briefing room. The briefing room was always a raucous place when both Departments were gathered and that day was no exception. Draco could hear bursts of laughter every few seconds down the hall as they approached. Daphne offered him a wide smile in return when he stepped aside to allow her to enter the room before him. Theo rolled his eyes, but Draco merely raised an eyebrow in response; just because they were now working for the Ministry didn’t mean that his well-bred manners had simply disappeared. 

“There you go, Potter! Malfoy’s gay; why not settle for him?”

The words were bellowed the second Draco entered the room and were followed by yet another shout of laughter from what appeared to be most members of both Departments. Draco knew that the speaker must have been Fitzwilliam Pryce – a tall, blond Auror a few years older than Draco – as he shot Draco a ludicrously lascivious look. Draco swept into the room with his head held high, refusing to lower himself to their level.

“Perhaps because a Malfoy has better taste than to be the one someone just _settles_ for?” Draco suggested as he took his usual seat at the front of the room.

Yet another burst of laughter was the room’s response, although this time it was mixed in with whoops and catcalls. Draco kept his eyes averted, choosing to order the papers on the desk before him, rather than watch for Potter’s response. He had no need to know how Potter chose to react to those kinds of taunts from their workmates.

“That would be a definite change compared to the bird I saw you with last weekend, right, Harry?”

Shaking his head this time, Draco sighed again. Putting up with this kind of banter in his work life was something he had never thought he would have to do, but he knew it wasn’t malicious. Thankfully, most of the time, they lost interest when Draco didn’t respond.

“Alright you lot, that’s enough,” Gawain called, interrupting the responding gales of laughter. “Into your usual pairs for your assignments; we’ve got much to do today and not much time to do it.”

Draco finally raised his head from the papers on his desk when Potter slid into the seat beside him. “Potter.”

“Malfoy.”

Potter, his face burning a bright red, seated himself down next to Draco and immediately began to gnaw on the knuckle of his right thumb, something Draco had seen him do when he was nervous about something. Draco tried his best to ignore him. Now that he knew what was coming from this briefing, he knew he couldn’t afford to become distracted.

“We have a double assignment this afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” Gawain began, his voice carrying right to the back of the large room. “I’m sure Gifre Avery needs no introduction to anyone here, but there is an information sheet on him and his crimes in the packet of notes on your desks anyway. Here’s the basics for those who need a refresher: Avery is an ex-Death Eater, a War criminal, and is wanted all across the United Kingdom for too many crimes against humanity to list aloud. He has been on the Ministry’s most wanted list since the second rising of Voldemort and he had evaded us at every turn. Until now, that is.” Gawain produced a long stick and _thwapped_ it against a map on the wall at the front of the room, almost causing Draco to jump. “Oswestry. We have had an undercover agent posted there with a band of criminals for the past year-and-a-half. During his monthly check-in, this agent reported making a delivery of a book to someone who fits Avery’s exact description in a house that had previously been thought abandoned. Normally, a sighting of someone on the most wanted list would be enough for us to send in an Auror team on their own, but there are special circumstances this time. _Adhémar’s Grimoire_ is the book our agent has reported delivering to Avery.”

This announcement caused a ripple of murmured conversation through the room. Glancing quickly around the room, Draco saw both shocked and worried faces, but all he felt at that moment was excitement.

“Silence! Yes, to answer your questions, we are sending you in in teams of two. Aurors, you will search for Avery and protect your partner from any danger present. Curse-Breakers, your only job in this assignment is to find that book and bring it back to be destroyed.”

The ruckus this announcement created within the room had Draco's ears aching. He ignored the rest of them, however, in favour of glancing over to Potter. Years of being forcibly teamed together had given Draco a good idea of how to read Potter and the determined jut of his jaw as well as his almost rigid posture told him that this was an assignment that Potter wanted. Not that Draco could blame him. Meeting his eyes caused an unwanted jolt to Draco's stomach, but the steely gaze he was met with had him nodding in response: they were going to fight for this one if they had to. 

“I said _silence_!” Gawain banged a hand against the nearest desk, causing a second-year recruit to flinch. “I have your assignments right here. There will be no objecting to them, is that clear?” He waited until the room was completely silent again before continuing. “Malfoy/Potter and Weasley/Nott: first wave. Pryce/Greengrass and Hughes/Carlisle: second wave. Anders/Creevey, stand back-up at the rear of the property. Montgomery/Peters, the same at the front. Everyone else is on stand-by in case of emergency.”

The second Gawain stopped speaking, the room burst into conversation again. Draco was about to rise from his chair to find Theo, but he was beaten to it by Theo and Weasley arriving at his desk. Leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest, Weasley began to lay out a plan of action. 

“Since we’re the first teams in, we’ll have to be especially cautious. No breaking away from the group, no touching anything unnecessary and, if you think you’ve found that bloody book, let your partner know.” He shot Theo a _look_ here and received a roll of Theo’s eyes in response. “Harry and Malfoy, you two take point. You can both handle yourselves if it turns out that he’s been alerted to our presence. Nott and I will follow the second you give us the signal. Since Oswestry is part-Muggle, part-magical, we should keep magic use to a minimum, I think, just in case. There’s no point in alerting the Muggles to our presence.”

Draco found himself nodding along with the plan. His excitement over this mission would prove difficult to contain, he knew, and he had to suppress a shiver as they stood to collect their equipment.

Getting everyone organised didn’t take too long, thankfully. It was just before two in the afternoon when Draco and Potter exited the Apparition point in a side street in Oswestry, with Weasley and Theo hot on their heels. The street looked absolutely average from the outside, with its rows of weatherboard and brick houses. Draco's fingers were twitching with the adrenalin pumping through him by the time they reached the block where the supposedly-abandoned house sat. 

The house was small and old-fashioned, even by Muggle standards. This meant that the lock on the front door was relatively easy for Potter to pick, using the Muggle contraption Draco had seen him use many times before. Draco kept an eye out for any kind of activity that would indicate that they had been discovered. He slipped in ahead of Potter the second he had the door open.

The hallway of the house was dark, but there was still just enough light coming in through the partially-open door for him to make out the hideous pink flower pattern on the wallpaper. With Potter just behind him, Draco moved into the house, his eyes moving wildly from side-to-side to check for any kind of threat. He slipped his wand into his hand as he gestured to Potter to signal Weasley and Theo.

“Two rooms in this hallway,” Draco whispered to all three of them once they were together again. “It looks like the kitchen and the bathroom are in the back.”

After taking in the layout for himself, Weasley nodded. “Alright, Malfoy and Harry take the room to the left. Nott, with me on the right. If you see _anything_ suspicious, yell. By that time, they would probably know that they aren’t alone anyway.”

Potter stuck close enough to Draco as they entered the room Weasley had indicated that Draco could hear him breathing in the silence of the room. Normally it would have annoyed him, but with the eerie presence the room had, he found himself thankful for Potter’s presence. He signalled to Potter, telling him to stay in the doorway while he secured the room.

Dust motes floated through the pale light that shone dully through the grime-covered windows, tickling Draco's nose. The light highlighted a large, iron-framed bed, a wooden wardrobe, and a tallboy all crowded into the relatively small space. Draco crouched, making sure there was no one hiding beneath the bed as he moved into the room. He could hear Potter’s breath coming from the doorway, but he blocked it out; he couldn’t afford any kind of distractions right then. When it became clear that both the wardrobe and tallboy were clear, Draco straightened and gestured to Potter, who entered the room and made right for the wardrobe.

Taking the time to properly study the room in the gloomy light coming through the dusty windows as Potter searched for the book, Draco caught sight of the hideous wallpaper again. Why it kept attracting his attention was beyond him, as there was nothing remarkable about it, but it never occurred to him to question it. With a quick glance over to Potter to make sure he was fine, Draco stepped up beside the bed near the doorway, as the wallpaper there was the easiest to reach.

The stink of dust and mildew hit Draco's senses almost the second his steps halted. Casting his eyes around, he determined that the smell was definitely coming from the black-stained pillows on the bed, causing a wave of revulsion to wash through him. Stepping up close to the wallpaper without touching the bed proved to be a bit of a challenge, however Draco managed it after a few tries.

There was nothing remarkable about the wallpaper – other than the fact that it was truly hideous – but Draco was unable to shake the sensation that continued to draw his eyes. He glanced back behind him to check on Potter again before returning his attention to the pink flowers on the wall. Leaning close to one particularly ugly flower, Draco had to resist the urge to raise his wand and prod at it. There was something else here, he was absolutely certain of it. Considering he could find no proof that his hunch was correct, however, he had to assume that the creepiness of the house was getting to him. He huffed out a quiet breath when the sound of Potter’s breathing reached his ears again. Spinning around, Draco shot Potter a glare that he knew he couldn’t see through the gloom.

“Potter,” Draco hissed, grabbing Potter’s attention away from the drawer he had been examining. “Are you really so much of a Neanderthal that you cannot even breathe quietly?” 

The widening of Potter’s eyes and the hiss of a slightly louder breath from behind him were the only warnings Draco received before an explosion knocked him off his feet. The force of the explosion caused Draco to slide through the dust on the floor, but that didn’t prevent his Auror instincts from kicking in. Shoving with his hands, he pushed himself into a crouching position in front of Potter, who placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. A mumbled charm from Potter cleared the dust from around them, revealing Gifre Avery standing in the mess created by whatever spell he had used to smash the wall down.

The bed had collapsed with the force of the explosion, as had part of the wall itself, blocking off the main exit of the room. Clenching his wand tightly in his hand, Draco's eyes searched frantically, trying to discover any opportunity he would have of pushing Potter to safety. Having to protect someone else while he fought was never a good thing, but to have that someone be Potter of all people… Draco shook his head as Avery stepped forward; he had to concentrate.

“The little Malfoy’s become an Auror, has he?” Avery’s voice was still chillingly familiar, despite the fact that it had been many years since Draco heard it. “Fucking blood-traitors, the lot of you anyway.”

With that, Avery lunged. Draco's muscles seemed to react before his mind had given them the command, launching him out of the way of the attack just in time. His heart racing in his chest, he scrambled along the filthy floor of the room, calling to see if Potter was alright as he went. When he heard Potter’s affirmatory response, Draco turned and went immediately on the offensive. Spells and curses flew across the room, kicking up even more dust and exploding parts of the room as they missed their targets. A series of loud bangs and explosions from outside the room told Draco that the rest of the teams had been mobilised, but he stayed where he was, defending his position. He was knocked off his feet in the next second by another explosion.

Coughing and spluttering in the dust and debris, Draco crawled quickly, hoping to make it somewhere safe before Avery discovered his position in the darkness. His wand had gone flying out of his hand the second he hit the floor, leaving him feeling panicky and exposed, but he knew he had to concentrate. His fingers clenched when his hand hit on something hard, but it turned out that it was only the iron frame of the collapsed bed. Shoving it out of his way, Draco scrambled, heading for what he believed was the doorway to the room. When a fresh gust of air hit his face, the hope that he had managed to make it out flooded through his chest. A thick set of fingers closing on his ankle informed him of how wrong he was.

“The little Malfoy,” Avery's rough voice snarled from behind him, causing Draco to spin and kick out. He was rewarded with a pained grunt, but that didn’t stop Avery from tightening his hold and dragging Draco back towards him. “Lucius will be so disappointed to lose his precious heir,” he sneered, a malicious tone to his voice.

Twisting and kicking with all his strength, Draco managed to break Avery’s hold on him just in time to hear Potter call to him from his right. He flung his hand out, hoping that Potter would take the hint. Having a wand in his hand again caused a wide smile to break on Draco's face. Holding the wand steady with both hands, he shot a curse at Avery that he knew would most likely get him suspended from the Department for even knowing. As focussed as he was on attacking, Draco didn’t notice that Avery also had a wand pointed at his chest and the last thing he remembered seeing was a brilliant flash of blue light before the world went black around him.

When he reawakened, it was to the sight of Potter’s face swimming into focus above him. Draco had no idea just how long he had been unconscious, but he found himself uncaring, as he stared up into the seemingly endless green of Potter’s eyes. Heat spread rapidly through his limbs when Potter leant close to him, pooling in his groin and stomach and causing his vision to waver a bit. It was clear that Potter was saying something, as his lips were moving, but Draco didn’t hear a word of it. Reaching up to tangle a hand through the hair at the back of Potter’s head, he drew him down into a deep kiss. A sharp jolt of lust raced through him just before the world went black around him for the second time.

*~*

Everything was white. It wasn’t a white that told Draco that he was dead and should be panicking, but it was a calming, warm white, if that was at all possible. There was something comforting about the white light; something that told Draco that there was nothing to worry about even if he didn’t quite remember why he was there.

Perhaps it was the almost overwhelming sense of _Harry_ that he was getting that was offering the comforting aspect of the white light, he pondered with a small smile. He knew Harry’s magic well enough by now to know how it felt. Having been on countless missions with Harry as his Curse-Breaker partner, Draco knew that he could trust him; that if Harry had cast something at him, it couldn’t be anything malicious. That thought caused him to relax a little more. Nothing that felt so much like Harry could be dangerous.

Attempting to flex his fingers, Draco soon came to the realisation that he didn’t have any. Glancing around, it quickly became apparent that he actually had a severe lack of a number of rather important things, like limbs and a torso. It was nothing to worry about, though; the warm, calming light was all that mattered in that moment. Nothing could harm him here, surrounded by the warmth Harry had obviously conjured.

Still, despite the comforting sense of _Harry_ , which he knew should have been enough, Draco couldn’t help being curious about the light. This was a strange place to find himself in; there was no denying that fact. In his entire twenty-four years on this planet, he had never once found himself as a disembodied mind floating in a room full of warm light. If it was a room, that is.

In fact, now that he allowed himself to think about it, this was more than strange. A mild sense of panic began to build in the place where Draco's chest should have been as he glanced around and realised that no, it wasn’t actually a room he was in. This had to be a spell. And if it was a spell, then that could only mean one of two things: either he had been captured by Avery and was currently being held hostage, or they had won and he was being held unconscious for medical reasons.

It wasn’t until a fresh wave of the peaceful feeling washed over him that Draco knew for certain that something was wrong. Fighting against the sensation of peace surrounding him caused a jolt of panic to rush through him, but he ignored it. If he was being held against his will, no matter by whom, he was going to break out of it. Focussing his mind, he pushed with all his might, struggling against the hold Harry held over him. The façade of the white room began to fade after a few seconds, dulling the light and draining the feeling of peace from Draco's body.

_Damn it, Potter, get him under control!_

_He’s human, Robards. This spell is designed to be used on objects, not living things!_

_I don’t care, just get him back under!_

The voices were panicked-sounding, causing Draco to struggle, both mentally and now physically. He had to break free of whatever spell this was; had to get back to reality. The image of the bright blue light flashed through his mind, lending the power of another jolt of panic to his struggles. What if the light had been something dangerous? What if he was being held in St. Mungo’s? Had his parents been informed? What of his team? What of Harry? His heart thudded in his chest as the voices sounded again.

_Potter, if you can’t control him..._

_Don’t fucking threaten me Robards; I’m doing what I can._

Yet another, much stronger sense of peace washed over Draco, but there was no way he was going to succumb to it this time. Concentrating as hard as he could, Draco focussed on the one spell that he figured would give him the best chance of breaking out of whatever bound him.

“ _Expelliarmus_!”

Draco gasped a deep breath in as soon as the white room faded from his eyes, to be replaced with the cement ceiling of what appeared to be one of the interrogation rooms in the Auror Department. A commotion reached Draco's ears, only adding to the racing of his heart, but he tried to block it out. The cold press of metal on his shoulders and hips told him that he was lying on the metal table in the middle of the interrogation room. That boded well for him, but he was still bound to the table somehow. The fact that he was apparently with the right side didn’t do a thing to help calm either Draco's racing heart or the urgency that was still flooding through his veins, especially when a loud crash sounded just behind him.

“Damn it, Potter; you said you had him under.”

“I did; the bastard Disarmed me.”

_Harry_. Draco knew that he should have recognised Harry’s voice much earlier, but he attributed that small slip-up to the panic rushing through him. It seemed that the mere knowledge of Harry’s presence in the room had a calming effect on Draco, but it was nowhere near enough to prevent him from beginning to struggle against his restraints. Kicking his legs and attempting to curl his arms inwards, he thrashed against the restraints pinning him to the metal table.

“Well then, get him back under!”

“No!” Draco managed to surprise even himself with this outburst. “No, no, don’t do this… Please, I need him…”

The words began to flow out of him completely of their own volition. He had no idea how or why, but something in the back of his mind was beginning to tell him that if he didn’t have Harry, it would be the end of him. This was clearly a turning point of his life: either he had Harry, or he would die; it was as simple as that. The concern for him he was certain he had seen in Harry’s eyes when he had leant over him back in the house flashed through Draco's mind, sending a similar heated sensation through his chest and limbs that had flowed through him back then. Arching on the table, he pulled against the restraints, trying to break free of them.

“Please, I need him… He’s mine, I need him, please…”

Panting harshly, Draco fell back against the table. The heat that had pooled in his chest was fading rapidly, seeming to take Draco's energy with it. Arching one last time, Draco let out a high-pitched sound from the back of his throat when nothing happened.

“Harry…”

It was another few seconds before anyone else in the room spoke, leaving Draco's muscles straining with the tension flooding through him. When Harry finally did respond, it was with a caution that Draco had never heard in his voice before.

“Draco?”

“I told you so!”

The second voice was definitely Daphne, but Draco was unable to focus on her at that point. Straining against the restraints again, he tried to reach out for Harry.

“Harry, please…”

“He must have been hit with that curse Avery used from the _Grimoire_ just before Weasley Stunned him.”

“Thanks, Daph, but I think we’d all figured that one out for ourselves with the flash of light that almost blinded us all.”

“Well, what do we do? He’s obviously too stubborn to be held under for the spell.”

A frustrated-sounding sigh was Harry’s only response for a few seconds. It could have been another few seconds or a few hours before Draco finally felt the touch of a warm hand on his shoulder. His muscles immediately began to relax with the strong sense of _Harry_ that accompanied the touch and he took a deep breath, his eyes sliding closed.

“You start the spell, Daph, I’ll work something out.”

“Potter–”

“It’s fine, Robards; I know what I’m doing. This curse doesn’t make them violent, just… Yeah. Look, the point is that I know what I’m doing.”

“You’d better.”

The touch of Harry’s magic this time released the restraints from Draco's wrists and ankles. He sat up immediately and swivelled on the table until he was sitting on the very edge. Draco didn’t even pause to rub the pain from his wrists before reaching out for Harry. Standing before him still in his deep blue Curse-Breaker uniform, Harry was a right sight: covered head-to-toe in the dust from the house, with a dried cut above his left eyebrow, he sent Draco's nerves shivering with desire. Wrapping his fingers around Harry’s wrist, Draco drew him close.

“Go on, Daph,” Harry called across the room before stepping close enough so Draco could run his hands over his shoulders. “Draco?”

Focussed as he was on having his hands on Harry, Draco didn’t answer straight away. There was something odd about this scene, he knew, but the need to touch Harry was building rapidly in his system and it was difficult to ignore. Taking a deep breath, he ran his eyes all over him, taking in the dust and the small scorch marks where he had obviously been grazed by numerous curses. The blue of Harry’s uniform was barely visible in parts, he was so covered in the dust from the explosion, and Draco automatically reached for his wand so he could cast a charm to clean him up. Panic rushed through him when his hand hit the empty holster on the side of his trousers.

“Oh, right. Here. You dropped it in the fight.”

Dust cascaded from Harry as he reached into his robes to produce Draco's wand. Draco nodded his thanks and pointed it directly at Harry.

“ _Scourgify_.”

The dust disappeared quickly as the spell did its work. The blue of Harry’s uniform returned, but it also revealed several new cuts that Draco hadn’t been able to see beneath the grime. Aiming his wand again, he carefully proceeded to heal each cut as he came to it. It wasn’t clear to Draco exactly when the sensation of peace had begun to settle over him again, but just sitting there with Harry close to him seemed to be having almost the same kind of effect over him that the white room spell had been.

“Draco?”

This time when Harry spoke, Draco looked up. The green of Harry’s eyes seemed to have intensified since the last time Draco had seen them, causing him to lean forward to get a better look.

“Er, Draco?”

Draco slipped a hand up around the back of Harry’s neck, tangling his fingers through the mess of hair there. He didn’t pull Harry forward so much as sway forward himself, but the move ended with their lips being mere millimetres apart.

“Yes?”

“I, er… Damn it, Daph, hurry up, would you?”

“Patience is a virtue, Potter.”

“Not right now it isn’t.”

Draco tightened his grip when Harry tried to pull back. This need of Harry was still building steadily, causing Draco's insides to shiver with every tiny little touch.

“Draco, you need to listen to me.”

“Hmm?”

Draco dropped his eyes to Harry’s lips. Full and pink, they were imminently kissable, filling him with a desperate desire that caused the hand in Harry’s hair to tighten again.

“No, _listen_ , Draco.” Harry pulled back a little, forcing Draco to meet his eyes. “Daphne is going to release you from part of the curse, alright? It might hurt but I need you to stay right where you are.”

Draco had just enough time to frown in confusion before the brilliant blue light shone through the room again. His eyes closed automatically as it reached blinding point, but he didn’t release his grip on Harry. His hands clenched when a sharp pain formed high on the left side of his chest and a high-pitched wail filled his ears, but it was all over in a matter of seconds. Draco merely sat there on the edge of the table for a few seconds as the aftershocks from the pain washed through him, mentally checking to make sure that everything he owned was still in functioning order. He had no idea how long after the pain had begun that he began to truly come back to himself, but when it eventually happened, it was fast.

Images of what he had done after being struck by the curse flashed through Draco's mind, each one causing a fresh wave of humiliation to wash over him. His behaviour since he had woken as well as the things that he had said caused his hands to clench as embarrassment flooded through him. When his mind threw the fact that he had kissed Harry at him, Draco groaned. He had _kissed_ Harry, quite possibly in front of nearly everyone they both worked with.

“Er, Draco?”

Meeting Harry’s eyes this time only caused Draco's sense of complete humiliation to spill over onto his face, turning him a flaming red from his collarbones to his hairline. Shoving Harry backwards, he stood and began to pace the room. Draco's heated skin prickled as he moved. He knew it gave away exactly what he was thinking and feeling, but there really was nothing he could do to prevent this. There was no way around it: his behaviour had been inexcusable, even if it had been entirely prompted by a curse.

“Draco?” It was Daphne who spoke this time, her voice cautious. “I know that this didn’t break the curse properly, but I need to know that it at least took away the compulsive part of it. Are, um, are you feeling any different?”

Coming to a halt in the corner of the room, Draco turned, carefully avoiding looking in Harry’s direction. The sensations flowing through him had definitely changed in the past minute, but he was unsure whether he could sort through them just yet. There was certainly still a very strong sense of heat flooding through him, but it felt different somehow. A strong as it was, there was also a definite lack of the impulse to be near Harry; to touch him. Draco sighed as he made his way over to Daphne.

“Thank you, Daph.” He put as much sincerity into his voice as he could. “I don’t remember anything beyond the flash of light and… Well…” He trailed off when his face heated again. “I assume it was you who discovered how to take away at least part of whatever it was the bastard hit me with?”

The bright smile that lit up Daphne’s face had Draco smiling in response. He didn’t resist when she stood to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Go easy on him, Draco. He refused medical treatment to stay here and help find a way to break this curse.” With that piece of whispered advice, she released him and turned to where Draco assumed Harry was standing across the room. “You’ve only got an hour left.”

“I know,” was Harry’s only response to the mysterious comment, but Draco ignored him for the time being.

Even the sound of Harry’s voice seemed to be sending shivers of desire and heat through his stomach. Not that he wasn’t used to feeling desire when he saw Harry, but this was different. The heated sensation was something he had never experienced before and he had to figure that it was part of the curse. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before turning to face Harry.

Standing in nearly the exact same position Draco had shoved him back to, Harry looked a little lost. The Cleaning Charm Draco had cast on him had done the job, as had the Healing charms, but it was clear that he had been through a hell of a lot that day. His hair stood up at stranger angles than normal, his robes were ripped almost completely away at the hem, and his glasses sat at an odd angle on his nose. Desire and the strange heat flooded through Draco, but he held back.

“An hour? What did she mean?”

“I, er…” Harry trailed off, his gaze lowering to the floor.

Draco watched impatiently as Harry brought his right hand to his face, bent his thumb and began to suck on the middle knuckle. It was something he had seen him do many times before, but it had a strange effect on him this time. The heated feeling rushed back into his stomach and spread downwards, sending need pulsing through every inch of his body. Instead of acting on the impulse straight away, however, Draco took a deep breath and tried to think.

It was clear that the flash of blue light had been a curse from the _Grimoire_ , but what effect had it had? Daphne had mentioned taking away a compulsive part of the curse as well as a time limit, but… Draco's insides lurched with an even stronger pulse of need when Harry glanced back up to meet his eyes.

_Harry’s eyes!_ Draco had to hold back a groan as the pieces seemingly fell into place. The flash of light, the bizarre heat that kept flashing through him, Daph’s mention of the curse having a compulsive element right after breaking him out of that strange behaviour… It all pointed to one thing: he was cursed to desire Harry.

Needing to test the theory, Draco moved forward, backing Harry up against the wall. Knowing that he didn’t have much time before someone walked in on them, he moved quickly, his movements almost jerky. Draco’s skin tingled with anticipation when Harry gasped. Leaning forward far enough so that he knew that Harry had no choice other than to pay full attention to him and him alone, he placed one hand on the wall beside Harry’s head.

“Draco, what are you doing?”

Harry’s voice was low, sending a shiver straight through Draco’s stomach, but he tried to ignore it as much as possible. Taking a small step forward, he breathed in Harry’s scent, his eyes closing involuntarily.

“Harry…”

A small intake of breath had Draco grinning. Leaning ever closer, he laced the fingers of his free hand with Harry’s and drew them up so they could both see them. Moving slowly, Draco twisted his hand so that Harry’s fingers were facing him.

“Do you know how this curse feels, Harry? What it does to you?” 

Re-opening his eyes, Draco kept them locked with Harry’s as he curled his fingers, stroking them slowly up and down. Standing as close as he was, it would have been impossible for Draco to miss the small flick of Harry’s eyes to their joined fingers before he took a deep breath to respond.

“Er, I don’t…”

“I know.” Harry’s eyes widened comically when Draco leant forward. “So allow me to show you.”

Leaning forward, Draco parted his lips just wide enough to suck Harry’s thumb into his mouth. He could have sworn that he heard the tiniest groan from Harry, but Draco was much more focussed on his own pleasure by that time.

Breathing deeply as he sucked the thumb into his mouth, Draco had to resist the urge to allow his eyes to slide shut. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Harry; no, more that he knew he shouldn’t trust himself while he was under the influence of a curse. His Auror training had taught him that. With his heart racing fast, and his head beginning to swim with unsatisfied lust, Draco knew that he was liable to do something stupid. Like attempt to jump Harry right there and then. Stopping himself took much more self-control than Draco was sure he had at that moment, but he began to slide his lips slowly back up Harry’s thumb once he reached the end. Still, it seemed that his actions had had the desired effect on Harry, as his lips parted on a soft sigh when Draco was nearly at the tip of his thumb. Unable to resist, Draco ran his tongue all over the very tip of Harry’s finger, swirling it around like it was a very different part of Harry’s anatomy.

“Auror Malfoy!”

Draco jumped when the door crashed open against the wall, and only just prevented himself from biting down. He shoved himself back from the wall as his face began to heat.

“Sir,” he greeted Head Auror Robards without meeting his eyes.

“You have less than an hour, Mr. Potter. Tell me why you are still here.”

There was the mention of a time limit again, this time from Gawain. Draco raised his head to see Harry blushing so deep a red that it put Weasley to shame.

“Harry?”

“You haven’t even told him yet?”

The anger in Gawain’s voice told Draco that whatever he was missing was important. Before he could begin to ask questions, however, Gawain turned to him.

“The curse that struck you has a time limit, Malfoy. It is by now incredibly clear that the first person you locked eyes with after being hit was Potter, correct?” He sighed when Draco nodded. “The parameters of the curse demand a certain type of satisfaction within twelve hours of the person being struck.”

“‘Satisfaction’, Sir?” Draco's eyes flicked between Gawain and Harry, a sense of doom beginning to build inside him.

“Sex, Malfoy. You need to have sex with Potter to satisfy the demands of the curse.” When all Draco could do in response to this news was stare at Gawain with his mouth slightly ajar, Gawain smiled. “Have fun with it, boys.”

With that, he turned on his heel and exited the room. Draco stood staring at the empty space he had left for what felt like hours. Sex. He had to have sex with Harry to satisfy the curse. Specific parts of Draco rejoiced at the news – causing him to try to subtly adjust himself in his trousers – but other parts of him were absolutely mortified. How the hell had he managed to get himself into this position?

“Everyone agreed that it was best to keep you under until we were able to remove the compulsion part of the curse. It took longer than we thought it would, which is why we don’t have much time left.”

Draco huffed out a disbelieving breath. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

He could have sworn he heard Harry shrug.

“It’s not…” Harry sighed. “Look, I don’t know any more, Draco. What I do know is that we’re running out of time. You were cursed around half two and it’s a little past half one now.”

Spinning on the spot as anger flooded through him, Draco snarled. “Are you propositioning me, Potter?”

“For fuck’s sake, Malfoy!” Harry’s eyes flashed, sending yet another jolt of need through Draco's stomach. “Do you think I like this? Do you think that this is how I wanted…” He shook his hands out as he shot Draco a disdainful look. “Look, the fact of the matter is that we have no other choice. You need this or you’ll die, or lose your magic, or something, the curse was kind of vague on that point. Either way, it’s not good.”

“Oh, I need this. That’s the only reason you want this, sure.” Draco ignored the deep blush that spread across Harry’s cheeks. “I bet you and your fucking martyr complex are just _loving_ this. It must be the ultimate in turn-ons for you, right? Someone actually _needing_ you on that kind of level. Well, Saviour of the Wizarding World, it seems my life is in your hands yet again.”

“Oh, don’t do me any favours, Malfoy. _You_ are the one who needs this, not me.”

“Is that a threat?”

His hands clenching by his sides, Draco took a step forward. It seemed that Harry wasn’t going to be intimidated, however, as he also took a step towards Draco.

“What if it is?

The challenge in Harry’s voice was too much for Draco to be able to resist. Flicking his wrist, he had his wand in his hand in a matter of seconds.

“What, are you going to hex me now?”

The disbelief in Harry’s voice prompted Draco and, before he had even had time to consider his actions, he’d knocked him off his feet with a mild hex. Following over to where Harry had landed, Draco re-holstered his wand and shoved at him with the toe of his boot.

“Believe me now, Potter?”

Lying in a crumpled heap, Harry grunted as he pulled himself to his feet. “This a brilliant way of convincing me to have sex with you, Malfoy. Are you going to go the whole-hog and use Unforgivables, or can I just expect to be tied up?”

Once again, Draco reacted on instinct rather than allowing himself time to think. Stepping forward with a curl of his lip, he swung his fist back and aimed right between Harry’s eyes. Of course, he missed by a mile as Harry neatly dodged him.

“Come on, Malfoy, you can do better than that.”

Harry was bouncing on his toes when Draco spun to face him. Drawing out his wand again, Draco threw a tripping jinx at him. This time it hit, dragging Harry to the floor of the interrogation room. With both the curse and the adrenalin pushing him, Draco pounced, pinning Harry to the floor. Harry struggled for a few seconds before Draco leant down so his lips brushed against Harry’s ear.

“I know what you’re doing, Potter.” Draco grinned when he felt Harry shiver beneath him. “You want this just as much as I need it.”

Lowering himself so his body covered Harry’s properly, Draco rolled his hips, enjoying the feeling of having him beneath him. A wave of lust crashed through Draco when he felt Harry’s hard cock pressing into his hip and he had to prevent himself from simply staying right where he was and bringing them both to completion right there and then.

“Draco…”

The lust-roughened sound of Harry’s voice sent a shiver through Draco. With the need to satisfy the curse pumping through him, Draco pushed himself to his knees and began to rid himself of his trousers and pants. He made it as far as shoving them halfway down his thighs before he caught sight of Harry before him. Wriggling his hips, Harry managed to pull his trousers off and kick them most of the way down his legs before he had to sit up to rid himself of them completely. The move brought them face-to-face and, unable to stop himself, Draco reached to pull Harry into a rough kiss.

The bitter aftertaste of Ministry coffee filled Draco's senses the second his tongue slid into Harry’s mouth. Normally it would have disgusted him – the Ministry coffee always did – but the need to satisfy the parameters of the curse overwhelmed even his own natural reactions at that stage. Draco let out a moan as Harry’s hands moved to begin to roam all over his body. It wasn’t Draco who dragged them to the floor this time, and the knowledge that Harry was reacting this way was sending his mind spinning with lust. Draco broke the kiss to quickly cast a cushioning charm on the floor beneath them before tossing his wand aside.

“I want you, Draco.” Harry bent his knees and locked his ankles behind Draco's back. “Fuck me.”

Draco could have sworn that he almost blacked out with the strength of the wall of lust that hit him at those words. Reaching blindly for his discarded wand so he could cast a lubrication charm – _how_ had he forgotten about that? – Draco gasped when Harry touched his fingers to Draco's hand and murmured the charm himself, giving Draco a generous handful of slippery lube.

“Now.”

At that stage, Draco was beyond doing anything other than mindlessly obeying both Harry’s words and the demands of the curse flowing through him. He stroked his hand along his throbbing cock before sliding his hand down between them. He nearly jumped in shock when Harry let out a loud groan the second one of Draco’s lubed fingers slid inside him.

“Yes, finally… Mmm… Please…”

With Harry moaning beneath him, Draco knew he was probably moving faster than he should. The second finger followed quickly after the first, but Harry’s only reaction was to groan and arch his neck, giving Draco a perfect view of his pulse beating wildly. He leant down to latch onto it, giving himself a small distraction while he prepared Harry for him. Thrusting and scissoring his fingers, Draco allowed himself to become lost in the sensations. Harry’s fingers curled, digging into his shoulders hard enough that Draco knew that he would have bruises in the morning. The whine that Harry let out when Draco removed his fingers had Draco chuckling against his throat.

“Please, Draco…”

The sight of Harry reaching for him was almost more than Draco could stand. He positioned himself and pushed forward in small thrusts, earning himself a whine. Harry’s hands fluttered all over Draco's back, but he barely felt it through the cotton of his shirt. Concentrating on not moving too fast, he bit down on his bottom lip and closed his eyes. His hips jerked forward when Harry squeezed his muscles around him.

“ _Merlin_ …”

“Move.”

With the jolts of need racing through Draco’s body, he didn’t need to be told twice. Harry was tight and hot around him as Draco began to move, thrusting into him at a rapidly-building pace. The heat returned as he found his rhythm, settling in the small of his back. The sensation caused Draco to arch his back as he thrust in, accidentally hitting Harry’s prostate. Harry’s responding groan and the tightening of his nails on Draco's shoulders combined with an increase of the heat in his lower back, but that wasn’t what had Draco re-opening his eyes in shock. A blue light was beginning to form around the two of them, increasing in brightness as the pleasure continued to build in Draco's stomach. With the heat in his lower back intensifying along with the light, Draco knew that he wasn’t going to last very long. Moving the hand that was still smeared with the rest of the lube, he grasped Harry’s straining cock and began to stroke him.

“Ohh,” Harry groaned, his hips jerking upwards and burying Draco even deeper inside him. “Please, Draco, please…”

Harry’s voice was deep and rough, and the wave of lust that crashed through Draco in response was enough to cause him to lose his rhythm. Leaning in, he bit down on Harry’s shoulder to try to prevent himself from coming too soon, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. Stroking his hand faster, he was rewarded with the sound of Harry’s breath hitching and the clenching of his muscles. The words that Harry had been murmuring faltered on a moan the second he found his release. Draco's eyes squeezed shut again as the light built to an almost blinding intensity. Thrusting in wildly, he threw his head back and let out a shout as he began to come, shooting his release deep inside Harry. He collapsed into a panting and shivering mess the second his orgasm released him, landing on Harry with a thump. The last thing Draco registered before sleep claimed him was the sound of a couple of murmured spells and the sensation of a cleansing charm washing over him.

*~*

Waking to the sensation of a bright light being shone in his face wasn’t how Draco liked to wake the morning after a night of brilliant sex. Groaning, he rolled over onto his back, only to have something freezing cold press against his shoulders. Draco gasped and sat bolt upright, his mind spinning with panic.

“Good morning.”

The grey cement walls and floor of the interrogation room swam slowly into focus as Draco blinked in the bright light of the permanent _Lumos_ Charms that lit the room. That was when it all came rushing back to him: the curse, his behaviour, the fact that he had kissed Harry in front of everyone… _Harry_. His head flicked around so fast his muscles screamed in protest.

“Harry.”

“You were expecting someone else?”

Lying exactly where he had seemingly been the entire night, Harry grinned up at Draco. His hair was a shocking mess, sticking up at all kinds of angles and his clothing was so rumpled Draco was unsure even a house-elf could have saved it, but Draco's stomach fluttered wildly at the sight of him anyway. The heat that had been spreading through him the day before was no longer an issue, but… He sighed. He had had sex with Harry Potter.

“Draco?”

The concern in Harry’s voice had Draco smiling in response. “Thank you.”

The sound of Harry’s deep laugh had lust swirling in Draco's stomach again. He watched as Harry scrubbed a hand along the back of his neck.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been thanked for sex before.”

“More fool them.” Draco blinked as his face heated. “I mean, uh…”

The blush deepened when Harry began to laugh. Closing his eyes, Draco ducked his head, not wanting to give Harry anything else to laugh at him about.

“Draco?”

Shaking his head, Draco rose quickly to his feet. They were still in the interrogation room of the Ministry, so who knew when the janitors would be in to start cleaning. Draco really didn’t want to have to explain himself to them while Harry smirked at him in the background. He grabbed his trousers from where he had apparently kicked them the night before and yanked them up.

“Draco.”

Casting his eyes around, Draco practically pounced when he found his wand tangled in Harry’s robes. Stuffing it in the holster on his trousers, he turned on his heel and made to stalk out of the room.

“For fuck’s sake, Draco, _wait_!” Harry’s hand closed around Draco's wrist, pulling him to a halt. “Where are you going?”

When Draco turned back to face him, Harry was watching him with confusion clear in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Draco drew upon as much of his dignity as he had left.

“I refuse to be a charity case that you laugh about the next morning with your friends, Potter.”

Draco's stomach fluttered pathetically when Harry blinked up at him. He’d never noticed that Harry had the habit of opening his eyes wider when he wasn’t wearing his glasses but, faced with that exact sight right then, he now wished he hadn’t noticed.

“A charity case?”

Draco shrugged. “Charity case, part of your mission to save the entire world, whichever fits with your problem-of-the-moment.” Glancing down to where Harry still held his wrist, he twisted his hand. “Release me.”

“No.”

Draco's head snapped up. “‘No’?”

“No. Look, this,” he paused to gesture between them with his free hand, “whatever it is, was good. Hell, it _is_ good. And I wouldn’t mind continuing it.”

With Harry staring up at him with his eyes wide, Draco knew that it wasn’t possible that he could be lying to him. It was difficult enough for Harry to hide anything from him at the best of times and at this distance, he had no chance.

“Continue it?”

“Well, yeah.” Harry shrugged, sounding like Draco was being completely dense. “We’re good together, Draco. It’d be insane to throw it away just because of the way we first got together.”

Draco hadn’t taken his eyes from Harry’s the entire time. The memory of just how much he had needed him the day before hadn’t faded from his mind and neither had the sensations that had rolled through him when they had been together. But was this a wise choice? His fingers twitched when Harry took a small step forward.

“Draco?”

Draco's eyes dropped to Harry’s lips. They were still a little swollen and red from where Draco had nearly bitten him the night before. Draco swallowed.

“A date?”

Harry chuckled low in his throat. “I was actually wondering whether we could try to make it to an actual piece of furniture next time, but if you want to wine me and dine me first, then I’m up for it.”

Draco's breath left him in a rush. “A piece of furniture,” he repeated quietly.

Harry hummed as he took another small step forward. “A table… A lounge… Maybe even a bed one day…”

Draco didn’t resist when Harry pressed their lips together. Wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist, he pulled him closer, enjoying the thought that they now had a choice of what they could do to each other and when. Harry hummed again when Draco broke the kiss.

“Draco?”

“We’re in the middle of Auror Headquarters.”

“Yes, we are.”

Draco took a deep breath. “Perhaps you should put your trousers on, then I’ll see what I can do about getting you dined at the very least. I believe it’s a little early for the cafeteria to be serving wine.”

Harry’s responding laugh sent another jolt of lust through Draco. He leant back against the doorjamb to watch as Harry dressed, his arms crossed loosely across his waist. The day before had been one of the strangest days of his life, but it now seemed that, no matter what came of this new development with Harry, Draco's Wednesdays were no longer going to be boring.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can show your appreciation for the author in a comment here or on [Livejournal](http://hd-erised.livejournal.com/69777.html) . ♥
> 
> This story is part of an on-going anonymous fest hosted at hd_erised @ livejournal.com. The author will be revealed January 9th.


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